called may receive the promise of the the of promise the are 9:15 Heb inheritance. eternal who receive those may that called covenant, first the under transgressions the of redemption the for death, of means by covenant, new the of Mediator the is He reason this for And

Church Presbyterian Northwoods

Worshipin Spirit and Truth. John 4:24

Cheyenne,WY 82009

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Many readers may not have much knowledge of so here is an attempt to make some clarifications. When looking into The Northwoods News dispensationalism, it doesn’t take long to get into very high weeds of theoretical theology. Just an explanation of what they mean by a literal hermeneutic is enough to stagger the mind. There is a myriad of meanings By to “literal” in modern dispensationalism. They should follow their own Two Peoples position on the literal hermeneutical meaning of “literal” and stop giving nit- Rich Cesal picking alterations to the use of the word. of God? John Piper says “As a result of this literal interpretation of Scripture, dispensationalism holds to a distinction between Israel (even I had other plans on what to write believing Israel) and the church. On this view, the promises made to Israel in the OT were not intended as prophecies about what God would about this month but whatever I do spiritually for the church, but will literally be fulfilled by Israel itself (largely in the millennium). For example, the promise of the land is researched I found myself reading about interpreted to mean that God will one day fully restore Israel to the two peoples of God controversy. Pastor Palestine. In contrast, non-dispensationalists typically see the land promise as intended by God to prophesy, in shadowy Old-covenant-form, Milan also gave a lesson on the issue of the greater reality that He would one day make the entire church, Jews Two Peoples of God recently in Sunday and Gentiles, heirs of the whole renewed world (cf. Romans 4:13).” I believe that it was Anthony Hoekema that said “unless you have a School. There are those who claim that presumptuous belief in dispensationalism, you will never find it in the Bible.” when Israel is mentioned in the Bible it This is shown to be the case since for 2000 years, theologian after theologian did not “discover” the idea of dispensationalism. This is a new always is in reference to the nation of theology basically formulated in the mind of John Nelson Darby in England Israel. This is the bedrock tenet of in the late 1830s and then popularized by C. I. Scofield in his Scofield Reference Bible. The popularity of the Scofield Reference Bible in America dispensationalism as taught by the house gave rise to its exclusive use in the burgeoning Bible College movement and of dispensationalism, The Dallas is highly responsible for the evangelical acceptance of dispensationalism. This literal interpretation leads to the belief in the “millennium”. The Theological Seminary. Drs Charles Ryrie, only mention of the millennium in Scripture is found in Rev 20:1-6 where the John Walvoord and Scriptures talk about a 1000 year period on earth. all claim that Israel will always be one of Now, prophetic writings are very difficult to understand. The very nature of prophetic writings is to give a shadowy picture of things to come. God’s chosen people groups and the church Literal interpretation is practically impossible. We also have the statement in 2 Pet 3:8, “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord is the other. They look upon the church as one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” This verse a parenthesis in the history of God’s strongly suggests that “a thousand years” is not to be taken literally. people. Actually Plan B. The original meaning they give to “literal” is what leads them to the belief that there is a permanent separation between Israel and the church. The Dallas Theological Seminary has another tenet which is second They refer to Israel as the earthly people and the church as the heavenly on the list which is the literal hermeneutic of Bible interpretation. The people. Westminster Confession on the other hand states “in a due use of the The primary reason for insisting that Israel will always be different ordinary means, may attain unto a sufficient understanding of them.” from the church is the fact that many verses which are prophetic in nature This means, metaphor is metaphor, poetry is poetry, analogy is analogy, are misinterpreted to require complete fulfillment regarding the nation of etc. It is the literal interpretation where the text does not indicate a Israel and they have not yet been fulfilled. This misinterpretation stems literal interpretation that brings an incorrect rendering of the text. from the mistaken notion that these prophetic statements must be totally -1- -2-

of God’s elect become the “People of God”. There is a continuity from and completely fulfilled literally in the dealing with the nation of Israel. Israel to the church. They, the dispensationalists, can’t see that they could possibly and in fact have been, fulfilled in a spiritual way on that which is not national Israel. We also have in Gal 3:8, the following, “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to That which is known as the Evangelical Church, believes this premise. Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” They state that God never intended that the uncircumcised would become This was obviously the plan of God from the beginning. The gentiles were part of His people. That Israel is the people of God and that will be true always to be included as satisfying the people of faith. even in all of eternity. They describe the Church as a parenthesis in history. Now, parenthesis is a phrase which is “a remark or passage that So we see that it was God’s plan to destroy those that killed His departs from the theme of a discourse.” This means that the church is an prophets and replace them with those of a different fold as told in John afterthought in the plan of God. They teach because the Jews rejected 10:16 by , “And other sheep [the Gentiles] I have which are not of Christ that God had to resort to a different plan. Kind of like a Plan B this fold [the Jews]; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; distinct from Plan A. and there will be one flock and one shepherd”. How much clearer can it be said but that there will be one flock with one shepherd, meaning all the Scripture is full of verses and teachings which refute in no uncertain people of God after the inclusion of the gentiles. No room here for Israel terms such an idea. Space will not permit giving all the Scripture which to be separate from the gentiles. makes it clear that this cannot be. But, here is an absolute start to attributing this idea to nothing but bunk. Lets examine the story about In 1 Pet 2:9-10, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a Jesus and the two travelers on the road to Emmaus on the very night that holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Jesus rose from the dead. Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained Jesus enquired of the two as to what they were discussing and they mercy but now have obtained mercy.” This obviously is referring to the asked can you be coming from Jerusalem and not know of the events that gentiles as “not a people”. happened this day. The story is told in Luke 24:13-27. And with that, Jesus said in Luke 24:27, “And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He In Romans 9, Paul tells us that the people of God are those not of the expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” seed, those descendants of Abraham, but of the promise, those who will accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. Paul agonizes over the fact that his What Scriptures were those that Jesus expounded to them? They countrymen, the Jews, do not accept Christ Jesus as their savior. He says were Old Testament Scriptures because that was the only Bible in Christ came for the Jew but that the Jew has rejected God’s offer just existence at the time. The New Testament would not be written for as in the parable of the tenants. Rom 9:4-5, “who are Israelites, to whom almost 100 years hence. So, in the Old Testament is all the proof needed pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the to show that Jesus was sent by God to be the Savior of mankind. This service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from alone should convince anyone that it was the plan of God from the whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally beginning to include all people groups in the grace of God. The inclusion of blessed God. Amen.” the gentiles was part of the plan from the start. No parenthesis here. Paul is admonishing the Jewish people in no uncertain terms. They In Mat 21:33-43, Jesus gives a parable about a landowner who leases have rejected everything God has given them including the promises like his land to vinedressers. The vinedressers do not give to the landowner they will always have possession of the promised land. Why don’t the that which he is entitled to. The landowner sends his representatives to dispensationalists apply their literal hermeneutic to Paul’s statement? the vinedressers to straighten them out and instead the vinedressers beat them and even killed them. Jesus, in the explanation of this parable, Paul goes on to say, Rom 9:8, “That is, those who are the children of states that the people sent are the prophets. Then the landowner sends the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the his son and they kill him also. It should be obvious that this parable is a promise are counted as the seed.” so the only children who God favors is picture of Israel and its actions against the prophets of God then finally children of the promise (all God’s chosen people) and not the children of their treatment of God’s Son. Jesus concludes the parable with the the flesh (Israel). There were many Jews that did accept Christ. This is landowner leasing his land to “other vinedressers” who will treat the clear from the Scriptures that tell of the thousands who were added to landowner right. These others are the Gentiles. Jesus also states, the church by Paul preaching in the synagogues. Those who were in the “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you [the synagogues were Jews not gentiles. If the promises are to be honored original vinedressers] and given to a nation [the Gentiles] bearing the forever only to the nation of Israel, why then would a devout Jew turn to fruits of it.” Thus, Israel is no longer the “People of the Promise” and all the church and join the gentiles there?

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In Rom 11:21,24 “For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. For if you were cut out of the olive tree which The hymn, “We Are God’s People”, is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be the story of how it came to be grafted into their own olive tree?” Notice that there is one olive tree not two. The Jew is the natural branch grated into the same olive tree written follows. as the gentile. In Eph 2, there is a resounding statement about there is not two but one. Eph 2:14, Paul is speaking of the gentiles and Israel when he Here is the story behind the writing of says, “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has “We Are God’s People”. It was written by broken down the middle wall of separation.” Making “both one” is saying that Israel and the church are now one not two. Also, the symbolism Bryan Jeffrey Leech in 1975. that Paul refers to is “the middle wall of separation.” The temple had a particular structure that was dictated by God. Inside, there was a physical wall which separated the circumcised (the Jew) from the Rev. Bryan Jeffery Leech tells this story uncircumcised (the gentile). When Paul says that the “middle wall of about how he came to write "We Are God's separation has been broken down”, he means that there no longer is any division or wall of separation of God’s people as to Jew or gentile. The People": two have been made one. "We had at that time very few popular Paul goes on to say, Eph 2:14-16, “For He Himself is our peace, who hymns relating to the church. So on a gray, has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of smoggy morning at a friend’s office in commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one Southern California, I decided to work new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile toward remedying this lack by writing one them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to th death the enmity.” God has put to death the division between Jews and of my own. The day was the 4 of July, gentiles reconciling them both in one body of the cross. How much 1975. I sat at a typewriter in his office clearer can it be said that there is no longer two peoples but now only one under the Lordship of Christ. and I did not get up until I had written all Also, we have in Heb 9:15, “And for this reason He is the Mediator 4 verses. The result was "We Are God’s of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the People." It turned out to be the favorite transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.” The “transgressions of all my hymn texts. I love singing it and I under the first covenant” is referring to the sins of Israel which like especially the mixture of the received the first covenant to Abraham and were redeemed by the substitutionary act of Jesus and received the promise of salvation metaphors in it, some biblical and some my under this “new covenant”. This strongly suggests that the old covenant own, which illustrate the true nature of has been replaced, not added to. the church. ‘We are a temple, the Spirit’s In summary, we see that there is no reason to believe that ancient Israel will be given some special place in God’s plan after Christ comes dwelling place, formed in great weakness, a again. At the time of Christ’s coming, where would these ancient cup to hold God’s grace; we die alone, for Israelites come from to be governed by the earthly millennial reign of Christ? Scripture says that when Christ comes then there is the end on its own each ember loses fire: yet and final judgement, the Great White Throne judgement where the joined in one the flame burns on to give books will be opened and the sheep will be separated from the goats, warmth and light, and to inspire.’" Rev 20:11-12; Mat 25:31-32. Amen Ω

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Important Things We are God’s people, the chosen of the Lord, November 6th at 2:00AM. Turn your clocks back one hour or if you don’t and Born of His Spirit, established by His Word; you are not accustomed to attending Our cornerstone is Christ alone, and strong in Him we Sunday School, you will this Sunday. stand: Men’s Breakfast— At the church, Saturday Morning, O Let us live transparently, and walk heart to heart and November 19, 8:00 AM. What is God’s providence for you on this day? Brian Church is teaching from the book God’s hand in hand. Promises by R. C. Sproul. This is a very interesting study. We always have a hearty hot breakfast and a great We are God’s loved ones, the Bride of Christ our Lord, fellowship time. See you there. Men’s Bible Study— November 14 & 28, 7:00 PM. Meet at the For we have known it, the love of God out-poured; Norgauer home. We are studying an in-depth study of Now let us learn how to return the gift of love once given: Ephesians. Women’s Bible Study— The women are resuming their monthly O Let us share each joy and care, and live with a zeal that Bible Study on Nov 15th and Nov 29th at 7:00 PM. The pleases Heaven. study book is 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John.

We are the Body of which the Lord is Head, Nursery Schedule for November Called to obey Him, now risen from the dead; 6th- Heather Norgauer 13th- Becky SHwen He wills us be a family, diverse yet truly one: 20th- Esther Davison O Let us give our gifts to God, and so shall His work on 27th- Alex Davison Please trade with someone if you are unable to do nursery earth be done. duty on the assigned day.

We are a temple, the Spirit’s dwelling place, Kaira Tunnicliff 1st Mildred Christie 24th Formed in great weakness, a cup to hold God’s grace; Amy Edmonds 9th Esther Davison 24th Janet Ramig 11th Dell Tunnicliff 28th We die alone, for on its own each ember loses fire: Alex Ramig 15th Nic Church 30th Yet joined in one the flame burns on to give warmth and

light, and to inspire. Luke & Kia Newsom Nov 17th

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prior to Adam's fall, The following article was gotten from the internet 2. of conscience, (Gen. 3:10-18; Rom. 2:11-15), Adam to Noah, from a webpage known as theopedia. 3. of government, (Gen. 9:6; Rom. 13:1), Noah to Abraham, 4. of patriarchal rule (or promise), (Gen. 12:1-3; 22:17-18; Gal. 3:15-19), Dispensationalism is a theological system that teaches biblical Abraham to Moses, history is best understood in light of a number of successive administrations of God's dealings with mankind, which it calls 5. of the Mosaic Law, (Ex. 20:1-26; Gal. 3:19), Moses to Christ, "dispensations." It maintains fundamental distinctions between 6. of grace, (Rom. 5:20-21; Eph. 3:1-9), the current church age, and God's plans for national Israel and for the New Testament Church, and emphasizes prophecy of the end-times and a pre-tribulation 7. of a literal earthly 1,000 year Millennial Kingdom that has yet to come of the church prior to Christ's Second Coming. Its but soon will, (Is. 9:6-7; 11:1-9; Rev. 20:1-6). beginnings are usually associated with the Plymouth Brethren movement in the UK and the teachings of John Nelson Darby. Each one of these dispensations is said to represent a different way in History which God deals with man, specifically a different testing for man. "These The Plymouth Brethren movement, basically a reaction against the periods are marked off in Scripture by some change in God's method of established church in England and its ecclesiology, became known dealing with mankind, in respect to two questions: of sin, and of man's for its anti-denominational, anti-clerical, and anti-credal stance. responsibility," explained C. I. Scofield. "Each of the dispensations may be While theologically orthodox, the Plymouth Brethren (Darby in regarded as a new test of the natural man, and each ends in judgment - particular) developed unique ideas regarding the interpretation of marking his utter failure in every dispensation." Scripture while emphasizing prophecy and the second coming of The idea of different "dispensations" may be found in the writings of Christ. The theology of this movement became known as some of the early church fathers, and viewing the flow of biblical history "Dispensationalism." as a series of "dispensations" may be seen in some works that pre-date Darby's dispensationalism, such as L'OEconomie Divine by Pierre Poiret This new teaching spread in America through prophecy conferences (1646-1719). But these earlier works did not include the unique testing/ such as the Niagara Bible Conferences (1883-1897). James H. failure motif described by Scofield or any hint of the underlying tenets of Brookes (1830-1898), a pastor in St. Louis and prominent figure in Darby's dispensationalism. the Niagara Conferences, disseminated dispensationalist ideas Beliefs about the Church and Israel through his ministry and publications. Most importantly, Dwight L. Moody was sympathetic to the broad outlines of dispensationalism In addition to these dispensations, the real theological significance can be and had as his closest lieutenants dispensationalist leaders such as seen in four basic tenets which underlie classic dispensational teaching. Reuben A. Torrey (1856-1928), James M. Gray (1851-1925), Cyrus I. Dispensationalism maintains: Scofield (1843-1921), William J. Eerdman (1833-1923), A. C. Dixon (1854-1925), and A. J. Gordon (1836-1895). These men were 1. a fundamental distinction between Israel and the church, i.e. there activist evangelists who promoted a host of Bible conferences and are two peoples of God with two different destinies, earthly Israel other missionary and evangelistic efforts. They also gave the and the spiritual church, dispensationalist movement institutional permanence by assuming 2. a fundamental distinction between the Law and Grace, i.e. they are leadership of the new independent Bible institutes such as the mutually exclusive ideas, Moody Bible Institute (1886), the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (1907), and the Philadelphia College of the Bible (1914). The 3. the view that the New Testament church is a parenthesis in God's network of related institutes that soon sprang up became the plan which was not foreseen by the Old Testament, and nucleus for the spread of American dispensationalism. a distinction between the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ, Theology 4. i.e. the rapture of the church at Christ's coming "in the air" (1 Thess. The dispensations 4:17) precedes the "official" second coming (to the earth) by 7 years 1. the dispensation of innocence (or freedom), (Gen. 2:8-17,25), of tribulation.

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These tenets are supposedly derived from the dispensationalists' Progressive dispensationalism insistence on "consistent literalism" in their hermeneutic, especially "Progressive Dispensationalism" by Blaising and Bock (Baker Books, 1993) in the literal interpretation of OT prophecies regarding Israel. introduced a movement showing that progressives within the Crucial to the dispensationalist reading of biblical prophecy, drawn dispensationalist camp have resolved many of the issues upon which classic principally from Daniel and Revelation, but also, to some degree, Dispensational theology has been attacked -- especially by Reformed from Ezekiel, is the assertion that the Jewish Temple will be rebuilt theology. However, some have questioned whether these progressives, on the Temple Mount as a precursor to the Lord returning to having abandoned certain crucial tenets, can fairly continue to call restore the earthly Kingdom of Israel centered on Jerusalem. The themselves dispensationalists at all. dispensational movement was therefore fueled by the re- Acts 28 and Mid-Acts dispensationalism establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. It has grown in popularity particularly since 1967, coinciding with the Arab-Israeli Other varieties of dispensationalism include the "Acts-28 Six Day War, and a few years later in 1970 with the publication of Dispensationalism" of E. W. Bullinger (1837-1913) and the Acts-13, or Mid- 's blockbuster book The Late Great Planet Earth. Acts, Dispensationalists, represented by J. C. O'Hair, C. R. Stam (Things That Differ), and Charles F. Baker (A Dispensational Theology). The latter Dispensationalism teaches that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ group also refers to itself as "The Grace Movement." These varieties are will be a physical event, by which a world-wide kingdom will be discussed in the main article on Hyper-dispensationalism. established in human history, geographically centered in Jerusalem. Dispensationalists teach that the Second Coming will be a two step Hyper-dispensationalism process. In the first step, Christ returns to resurrect the blessed Hyper-dispensationalism (or sometimes ultra-dispensationalism), as dead and rapture the living believers from the Earth. After this, a opposed to traditional (or classic) Dispensationalism, views the start of the seven year period of tribulation occurs, climaxing in the Battle of Christian church as beginning with the ministry of the Apostle Paul after Armageddon. In the second step, Christ intervenes at the Battle of the early part of the book of Acts. Although variations exist in specifics, Armageddon and establishes a literal 1000-year millennial kingdom all hyper-dispensationalists view the four Gospels and many of New on earth. As such, some Dispensationalists are often associated with Testament Epistles as applying to the pre-Pauline Jewish-Christian church the circulation of end times prophecy, which professes to read or to the future Davidic Kingdom; not directly applicable to the omens of the Second Coming in current events; however, other predominantly Gentile Church of today. Dispensationalists have criticized this apocalypticism popularized by authors such as Hal Lindsey. "Dispensationalists distinguish Israel from the church and so look for a point in history at which God's redemptive program changed from the one and dispensationalism form of administration to the other. The most common dispensationalism By way of clarification, it should be noted that while all finds the beginning of the church in Acts 2 with the Spirit's coming at dispensationalists are by definition premillennial in their Pentecost. From the standpoint of Acts 2 dispensationalism two other eschatology, not all premillennialists are dispensational in their views seem extreme, or "ultra." According to Acts 13 dispensationalism the theology. Historic Premillennialism (e.g. in George Eldon Ladd) church began when Paul started his mission to Jews and Gentiles (Acts rejects pre-tribulationalism, dispensationalism's radical tenets, and 13:2). According to Acts 28 dispensationalism the church began toward the its uniquely Jewish view of the 1000 year millennium. Historic end of Paul's ministry with his reference to Israel's rejection of the premillennialism may be traced back to some of the early church kingdom of God and the sending of God's salvation to the Gentiles (Acts fathers where it was sometimes termed "chiliasm." 28:26-28)." Dispensational theology in Christianity at large The most notable proponent of Acts-28 Dispensationalism was E. W. Bullinger (1837-1913). Other writers holding this position include Charles H. Prior to dispensationalism, Covenant theology was the prominent Welch, Vladimir M. Gelesnoff, and Otis Q. Sellers. Spokesmen for the Acts Protestant view regarding redemptive history and is still the view of -13, or Mid-Acts Dispensationalists, include J. C. O'Hair, C. R. Stam the Reformed churches. A relatively recent view, which is seen as a (Things That Differ), Charles F. Baker ( A Dispensational Theology), and third alternative, especially among Calvinistic Baptists, is called New Bob Enyart (The Plot). Covenant Theology. Outside of Protestantism, however, other Christian branches (e.g., Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, Hyper versus Ultra or Roman Catholicism) have not embraced any form of While Hyper-dispensationalism is a not a label most Mid-Acts dispensationalism. Dispensationalists would readily accept, they prefer that the term "Ultra-

-11- -12- dispensational" be reserved for Bullinger and the Acts-28 end of the Have a Need? Contact one of the officers. spectrum. In fact, if the classical Scofield variety may be termed as Acts -2 dispensationalism, then there is indeed a spectrum of views to be Office Telephone 307-637-4817 acknowledged. By way of distinctions, it is noted that classical Web Site northwoodspca.org dispensationalists accept both baptism and the Lord's Supper as Email [email protected] applicable to the church. The Mid-Acts (Hypers) reject baptism and the Milan Norgauer, Pastor 635-1865 Acts-28 (Ultras) reject both. Additionally, for the Hyper, the doctrine [email protected] for the church is contained solely in the Pauline epistles. For the Ultra, doctrine for the gentile church is contained only in Paul's post-Acts 28 Tim Anderson, Elder 286-6625 (prison) epistles. [email protected]

Norman Geisler uses the terms interchangeably in volume 4 of his Brian Church, Elder 221-9966 Systematic Theology. On page 27, he refers to Bullingerites as "extreme [email protected] ultradispensationalists"; while Baker, Stam and O'Hair are called "less- extreme ultradispensationalists". On pages 680-681, under the section of Alex Davison, Elder 245-9348 Ultra-Dispensationalism, Dr. Geisler again includes Baker in his [email protected] description of ultra-dispensationalists, while Bullinger is again called an extreme ultradispensationalist. He states: "Ultradispensationalists call Alex Ramig, Elder 638-8927 themselves the grace movement... Compared to even more moderate [email protected] dispensationalists like John Walvoord (1910-2002) and Charles Ryrie Rich Cesal, Deacon/Treasurer 637-6195 (b.1925), the grace movement is ultra- or hyperdispensational." Ω [email protected]

Dale Vosler, Deacon 632-0133 Some basic criticisms of dispensational tenets. [email protected]

If you have a request for the prayer chain contact In Hebrews 12:1, we are told that “we are surrounded by so great a Branda Church 221-9206 and if not available, cloud of witnesses”. What this refers to is “all the people who have already finished the race with honors” who passed before us, as Kelleigh Anderson 635-2578. the Geneva Bible explains. Those who have expounded on the words of the Bible from Moses to Jesus since the beginning, all told of the truth of God’s Word as revealed to them by the Holy Spirit. The dispensationalists in effect are calling God a liar because to And let the peace of God them that great cloud of witnesses is giving a false witness. In speaking with a dispensationalist, he said that Christ was only rule in your hearts, to coming once. That what is mistakenly thought that dispensational theology was teaching a second Second Coming wasn’t really a second coming because the first Second Coming occurs just before which also you were the rapture and in fact introduces the rapture. This is not the Second Coming because Jesus does not come down to earth but called in one body; and be performs the rapture in the air according to 1 Thes 4:16-17. The view that the New Testament church is a parenthesis in God's thankful. plan which was not foreseen by the Old Testament totally is against the Bible’s testimony according to the story of the conversions on the road to Emmaus by Jesus himself. We find in Hallelujah, Amen that story that everything concerning Jesus is found in the Old Testament which would have to include the foretelling of the existence of the church with Christ as its head. Ω -14- -13-